Blog

According to the Centers for Disease Control, one in three Americans will develop diabetes by 2050, particularly type 2 diabetes. New research suggests vitamin K may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, perhaps by as much as 51%.

Vitamin K is found naturally in deep green foods like broccoli and Brussels sprouts, the less common Japanese fermented food natto is one of the best sources of this vitamin. A vitamin K deficiency is rare, according to The University of Maryland Medical center, because most people get enough from food and “in addition to being found in leafy green foods, the bacteria in your intestines can make vitamin K.”

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition printed a study from Spanish researchers who looked at data involving over 1,000 men and women around age 67. At the beginning of the study, no one had type 2 diabetes. At the conclusion of the study 131 people had developed it. Participants who developed type 2 diabetes had significantly less vitamin K at the beginning of the study. By deductive logic, researchers found that for every additional 100 mcg each participant had per day, his or her risk was decreased by 17%. Participants with the highest intake averaged a 51% reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. “We conclude that dietary phylloquinone [a form of vitamin k] intake is associated with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes,” they said.